7th Sea - The story so far (Storm Island)
Back to previous page: Setting sail from Tarago, the crew and passengers were quickly swept up in stormy seas. Seeking safe harbour they sought to put in at l'Île d'Ombre, a small island a few miles off the coast of Montaigne. However coming around the southern edge of the island, the captain faced rough seas and hitting a hidden reef shook the deck throwing one of the crew overboard. Benedicta dove overboard whilst Iulia tried to anchor off a rope and prepared to haul them both back in. She was able to save the sailor, but was swept away from the ship and lost among the waves. The rest of the crew struggled and eventually bought the ship in to the safety of the harbour where they immediately started working on a patch for the leaking hull. The island is centered around the main settlement of Port-Cros, a fishing town and port that lies on the West side of the island. At low tide the air is rich with the smell of decaying seaweed and fish guts as gulls flock overhead. Currently there are two vessels berthed. A whaler and a merchant-ship both are battened down in preparation for the storm and carry a small complement of cannon. Up the hill from the village is a fortified manor of old moss-covered stone, with a walled courtyard. It is surrounded by the ruins of an older defensive stonework and plenty of castle ruins can be found about the site. The harbourmistress came up the pier to greet the new arrivals (charging berthing fees and so on) but directed the passengers to the Brace of Daggers Inn and noting the presence of a pair of nobles, sent word up to the manor. Whilst Cpt Hawke saw to the repairs the others went inside encountering a pair of crews, each led by a captain. The Avalonian captain was a stout man in his forties, whilst the Vodacce was younger and had a hat that didn't quite fit. Floriana was taken up to the manor by the Dutchess's daughter Camille on horseback, where she had a hot bath before visiting the family. Iulia beats the Vodacce at arm-wrestling ad earns herself pints for the rest of the evening. Princess Floriana came to dinner with the Dutchess, Duke and their children and Captain Hawke and Jessica come to join them whilst Iulia was asked to sit to one side as a bodyguard. The parents are stalwart monarchists, but their children wish to leave. Either out of disinterest for the island or concern for the people who they are supposed to protect. Down the Brace of Daggers, people asked Benedicta about revolution, they were generally loyal to the nobility, but faced with the Beast they saw that revolution was inevitable. Jeanette, the local priest, apparently wants the locals to remove the Duke and Duchess, talking about sinful ways and the ‘judgement’ killing locals over recent months, which their death would rid them of. She points to a prophecy: “When an island of tempests shelters the sinful and the wicked in scholarly guise the beast shall rise and tear down the tall. Only by cleansing sinners in flame and reconciliation of faith will the faithful be spared.” After dinner up at the Manor, the ladies go to play a card game resembling bridge and gossip whilst Iulia sneaks off to look around. The manor is defensible but with less than half a dozen people that they could rely upon in a fight, angry villagers could easily overwhelm the manor. The midnight excursions. Verity and two others went out to find the beast Somebody studied in the church looking for a pattern in the beasts killings. It appears it first struck the least inhabitted areas in the North, but as soon as people began to seal themselves inside after dark it moved South. Jessica watched the manor to see if anything returned there. Escape from the beast - Verity and the others encountered the beast, spied upon it and noticed several things. Vasily saw that it was no supernatural beast, but a mundane creature stretched and twisted to unnatural size. The beast: face like a cat, shoulders high as a man’s head. Allegedly raised by scholars unearthing something on the coast. Cpt. Hawke saw that it was being guided by a human-shaped figure wearing a long brown leather coat and a hat that almost completely covered their features. Benedicta spotted that it handler was wearing something on its hand, that emitted a light. No doubt a Syrneth artefact. Back to previous page: